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Book: For the King's Pleasure

Staff -- Interior Design, 4/22/2002 4:12:00 PM

reviewed by Stanley Abercrombie

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For the King's Pleasure: The Furnishing and Decoration of George IV's Apartments at Windsor Castle
	London: Royal Collection Enterprises, distributed by Thames & Hudson by Hugh Roberts 453 pages, 489 color illustrations; $175.00 Buy at Amazon.com for $122.50.
Could the decoration of any suite of rooms be worthy of a book so large, so lavishly illustrated, and priced at such a princely sum? Yes, if the suite consists of more than 100 rooms at Windsor Castle that were redesigned to match the ambitions of George IV, England's 'last great builder-king.' Yes, if that redesign embodies the interesting transition from neoclassicism to Gothic Revival. Yes, if the transformation of what Queen Charlotte called the 'Coldest House that ever existed' into a comfortable and luxurious (if not, perhaps, cozy) palace is also shown. Yes, if those rooms can be viewed by the public only one day a year. Yes, if the author, director of the Royal Collection and surveyor of the Queen's works of art, took part in the restoration of Windsor Castle after the fire of 1992. And most emphatically yes, if the book is able to tell us more about the design process of the early 19th century than is generally known. What we are shown is chiefly the work of architect Jeffry Wyatville and decorators Nicholas Morel and George Seddon, with other participants including the father and son gothicists A.C. Pugin and A.W.N. Pugin. The foundation of the author's research is the London firm Morel and Seddon's richly detailed 1830 account book, which was recently brought to light and identifies and describes much of the work done and virtually every piece designed, bought, or specified. As a result, For the King's Pleasure reveals more than the appearances of some royal rooms, their architectural details, upholstery fabrics, curtains, carpets, and wall hangings. It tells us much about the taste, practice, and abilities of interior designers at that time.

Interior Design Magazine, April, 2002
Classification: Decorative Arts
Ornament
Period Style

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